Nitrification inhibitors for efficient use of fertilizer nitrogen: a scheme for development of nitrification inhibitors

Nitrification inhibitors are used for Improving both quantity and quality of crops under situations where losses of fertilizer nitrogen due to leaching and den1trif1cat1on are high. However, lack of cheap and specific inhibitors of nitrification curtails their practical use. A scheme has been proposed for developing specific, efficient and cheap nitrification Inhibitors based on two approaches -- (1) by evaluation of a large number of compounds possessing some sort of general blocIda! activity for retarding nitrification 1n soils and (11) by Identification of the functional groups responsible for the activity and incorporating these groups 1n suitable compounds. Employing the second approach. It has been discovered that the furan ring In the compounds Imparts the nitrification Inhibitory property to varying degrees. This may be useful for practical agriculture